Oh Crikey! Danger! Danger! Danger!

This was our farthest location that we went to. It was a 2 1/2-hour drive up north close to Sunshine Coast to a place called Beerwah. What's located there is Australia Zoo or informally known as Steve Irwin's Zoo. It's located on Steve Irwin's Way. That's right, it's the zoo of the late crocodile hunter and it is a terrific place. It really exuded the passion, enthusiasm as well as the love for the animals of the late Steve Irwin.

Since Australia doesn't have any tigers or lions, the role of the most vicious predator falls to the Saltwater Crocodiles. That is why the zoo is full of these crocodiles who really are amazing creatures....that is when they are behind the exhibit fences and you are safely on the other side. These mouth-full-of-teeth creatures can grow to be more than 20 feet long. Check out this croc!


Each animal feeding was accompanied by their respective zoo keepers and you can tell that they really care and love for these animals. We were told that Steve used to go into the kitchen to look at the food prepared for the animals and if the food is not fit for him to eat, it's not fit for his animals as well.

These otters used to take a branch and lean it against their enclosure so that they can climb out of it. They then venture around the zoo eating other animals' food and then come back before dawn to wait for their breakfast feeding, after removing their "escape" branch. They were caught on camera! Amazing!


The zookeepers aren't prima donnas either, meaning they help around the zoo doing manual labour and cleaning chores as well and not just the cages but also the general areas. In most zoos, I do see these zookeepers only keeping to their animals and the janitors are tasked on the cleaning of the compounds.

There was a place where they had a people write on that bush whacker jacket that Steve wears. There rows of the jacket are where people paid tribute to the one powerful personality who is championing the saving of wildlife in Australia. Check this site out Save Steve's Place.
It was very sad and at the same time impressive to read these messages ranging from sadness, well wishing and asking the family to be strong to those who pledge to do something about Australian wildlife. Standing there I really felt sad for the first time about this fella Steve whom I always thought was a bit reckless and a clown for all his antics. Looking on, I realized what he was trying to do and he was a true hero for reaching out to something that both you and I will either not be able to do or just don't want to.

So I stood there with my children as we silently absorbed in the enormity of this persona and the coming to a realization of how bright this personality is. His catch phrase and Aussie slang (which I imitate very well, thank you very much) of "Oh Crikey" now means a lot more than just a TV personality trying to sell his shows. It means something a lot more serious and something a lot more fundamental....saving of our planet, one animal at a time.

Moving on, the kangaroos are in a location where you can feed it, pet it or just chill out with it. The kangaroos are probably so sick of us coming in with corn and wood chips in our hands, poking them, stroking them. Geez, they don't know where those hands have been!!! They probably do it because they too love Steve and to humour us. You can actually see some of them, just sitting there with that expression like "If we stay still, maybe he will go away!" or "Or no Maureen! For the love of God, not another gawking human child!!".


The koala I don't understand. What is the purpose of an animal that wakes up to eat for 2 hours and then sleeps 22 hours a day??! They sleep high in the trees, they don't have any natural predators, they don't eat any pest, they don't help polinate plants, they just sleep and eat. That's their purpose in life. At least the cockroach helps decompose garbage and spread disease which helps the circle of life. The nature's laziest animals are just there for show, pretty much like supermodels. No real purpose and no help whatsoever. Just high maintenance. No wonder they are only found in Australia; they are too lazy to move around!


There was a "Crocoseum" which was fashioned as a Coliseum-type place which allows us to see how they feed and run away from the crocs. Oh Crikey mate!


There were Tasmanian Devils which looked nothing like Tazz from Loony Tunes. This little guys looks like it can rip your arm off. There was also a lazy Dingo which is Australia's Wild Dog and a Wombat which looks like a cross between a pig and a rectangular box.


But all said and done and truth be told, after absorbing all that wildlife karma and saving-the-planet aura, I don't think I wanna see another koala or kangaroo for a long while!